The nightmares of shoddy paneling and dropped acoustical tile ceilings weren’t the only problems in the interior of the South Slope row house. The structure was in dire need of reinforcement, the original staircase was unsalvageable and the house was only 13 feet and a few inches wide.

“It was a funky, weird house in very, very poor condition,” is how architect Philip Pankiewicz put it. But the price was right and its location steps from a decent public school. “The overall goal was to maximize space and minimize maintenance.”

Pankiewicz and his partner, Talia Braude, of the South Slope-based firm Braude Pankiewicz Architects, took on the project for a family member, who saw its potential as an investment property.

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In the course of a complete gut, the architects created a finished duplex plus cellar, with as much natural light as possible. They moved the staircase, which had been central and steeper than code allows, to a new location along a side wall. Using the thinnest possible material — 3/16-inch plate steel, painted gunmetal gray — for railings, it saved precious inches and also provided a strong graphic element.

Braude Pankiewicz brought the job in for under $400,000. “We do many projects with a challenging budget,” Pankiewicz said. “On this one, we actually spent more on some elements,” including the copper exterior siding, millwork, custom steel work, spray foam insulation and a mini-split air conditioning system.